The Hawks have had some great Offensive Linemen since the Late 90's and into the 2000's. Jones, Hutchinson, Kendall, Tobeck, Okung, Unger. It's a pretty solid list actually. The one guy who never gets mentioned, especially when talking about the great 2005 team, is Chris Gray. Gray was that dude who looks absolutely nothing like a pro football player and exactly like the local beer distributor. Funny thing is Gray actually holds the Seahawks record for most consecutive starts, with 121. He played right guard extensively, but also played every other position on the line during his 10+ years with the Hawks. Safe to say Gray was a tad bit overlooked...

Remind you of anybody? Paul McQuistan, right down to the "wait, this dude's in the NFL?!", look on his face. McQuistan's the guy that everyone's always going to want to replace but the guy who will always be a fixture in the lineup. Paul McQuistan is Chris Gray 2.0.

Moffitt and Sweezy will probably compete for the job at RG all offseason, with Carp trying to unsettle McQuistan at LG. However, if Carp looks the best of the Young 3, don't be surprised if he gets the job at LG next to Okung and McQuistan shifts to RG with Moffitt and Sweezy to the bench as some quality depth. Phat Pauly McQ just strikes me as the consummate professional who coaches and teammates respect. I'm pretty sure Tom Cable loves him. We were wondering when we'd find our next Walter or our next Hass, and it seems we finally found them. Looks like we found our next Chris Gray in the process.

*Still not completely sure why I just took time out of my life to write about Paul McQuistan or Chris Gray. Just another day in the life of a Seahawks junkie I guess*

I've heard tales, legends of your greatness bestfightstory. To meet you, at Carlow East, would be akin to a Nordic person meeting Odin.

Let me know what ends up happening. I've got the same plan this year. Might not have the $ for a Seattle trip since the Hawks WILL be playing twice at the Meadowlands this year. It's a special year though, it'll be worth it.

Anyways, I'll be going to the regular season game for sure. I'd be down to get some brews at Carlow that Saturday for sure.

I wonder if McQuistan studies like Gray? I remember reading about how much studying and prep work Gray did, like the Russell Wilson of the o-line. He'd keep in depth notes on every defensive lineman he faced.

He wasn't as physically gifted as a lot of lineman, but he was the type to outwork everyone else.

I wonder if McQuistan is like this?

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

I played with Paul McQuistan (and his brother Pat) at Weber State. There was quite a bit of hype around them on campus [and the city of Ogden Utah] during their Senior year, especially since Weber State is a Division I-AA football school. That has only a handful of football players to have been drafted into the NFL. Paul's brother Pat is an OT, who I believe is on the Cardinals roster now.

If I remember correctly, Paul was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round (after my Freshman season at Weber). And his twin brother Pat was picked up in the 7th round, by the Raiders if memory serves me correctly.. Anyway, I was a redshirt my Freshman year, so I rarely even practiced against the McQuistan brothers. What I remember most is how BIG they were for Div-1AA O-linemen. We played teams like Montana State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington Univ, Northern Colorado, North AZ, etc. All mid-size schools, because it was the Big Sky Conference, lol! The linemen were typically around 6'2" 280+ pounds. While the McQuistan brothers were both 6'6" 320 pounds by their senior season.

I remember teammates telling me they had NFL size by their sophomore year, on top of being ridiculously strong and tough... I know this is off-topic, but its kind of cool knowing that (although briefly) I was on the same college football team as a guy that's now on the Seahawks roster. I was actually friends with Paul's brother, Pat McQuistan, since he was one of the few Seniors on the team that was friendly to rookies.. Paul was cool too though. He simply wouldn't be around when the Seniors were being major D-bags and brutalizing rookies. He didn't want to participate in hazing. The McQuistan brothers were really laid back, cool guys.

Chris Gray's pass blocking technique, in particular, was spot on. That was important for a pass first offense. He covered the gap between the center who tended to work with the left quard and the right tackle with great success. He was also a most valuable check and ballance resource for Tobeck and his line calls.

But it was his perseverance that was most reassuring. He was a guy that could always be counted on to deliver on the field of play.

Below are a couple of my favorite quotes on Ghris Gray.

"I've been one of those guys wherever I've been, I was kind of the guy they always drafted somebody bigger, faster and stronger (to replace me). Even in Miami and up here they did the same thing. I've always prided myself on being the guy not missing practice. Older veteran in Miami - Ron Heller - told me, 'The fastest way out of the NFL is to be hurt.' That's one thing I always played through injuries, played through pain. I always prided myself on knowing what to do and get the technique to do it right. A lot of guys are just big and strong and try to manhandle people. I wasn't the biggest, strongest guy, so I tried to do it technical and know what to do on every play."

despite what everybody always said or thought - Chris Gray never was displaced from the starting offensive line by anybody. It required a quirk of fate that would make him walk away.

Wasn't CG one of those guys in the catagory of "didn't appreciate what we had till he was gone"?? Seems like I remember him being on the top of the Seahawks.net (or previous versions) chopping block every season he was here... and of course one of the perennial .net whipping boys... but the dude just kept chugging along for years...

We should all be grateful if we have found the next Chris Gray. He was a whipping boy around here, people just loved to hate him, but the coaches sure liked him. He just kept winning roster spots, and always came ready to play. He must have had something going for him.

I'm not one to worry about having superstars, but I love having players like CG, and hopefully McQ if he fits the mold, on the team.

Talent can get you to the playoffs.It takes character to win when you get there.SUPER BOWL XLVIII CHAMPIONS

Zowert wrote:I played with Paul McQuistan (and his brother Pat) at Weber State. There was quite a bit of hype around them on campus [and the city of Ogden Utah] during their Senior year, especially since Weber State is a Division I-AA football school. That has only a handful of football players to have been drafted into the NFL. Paul's brother Pat is an OT, who I believe is on the Cardinals roster now.

If I remember correctly, Paul was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round (after my Freshman season at Weber). And his twin brother Pat was picked up in the 7th round, by the Raiders if memory serves me correctly.. Anyway, I was a redshirt my Freshman year, so I rarely even practiced against the McQuistan brothers. What I remember most is how BIG they were for Div-1AA O-linemen. We played teams like Montana State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington Univ, Northern Colorado, North AZ, etc. All mid-size schools, because it was the Big Sky Conference, lol! The linemen were typically around 6'2" 280+ pounds. While the McQuistan brothers were both 6'6" 320 pounds by their senior season.

I remember teammates telling me they had NFL size by their sophomore year, on top of being ridiculously strong and tough... I know this is off-topic, but its kind of cool knowing that (although briefly) I was on the same college football team as a guy that's now on the Seahawks roster. I was actually friends with Paul's brother, Pat McQuistan, since he was one of the few Seniors on the team that was friendly to rookies.. Paul was cool too though. He simply wouldn't be around when the Seniors were being major D-bags and brutalizing rookies. He didn't want to participate in hazing. The McQuistan brothers were really laid back, cool guys.

As a diehard EWU fan since 2004 when I was a freshman, I have probably heckled you.

"You can hurry up all you want. But if you can't get yards and can't complete passes, then it's just quick three-and-outs." -- Richard Sherman

PlinytheCenter wrote:Who are we going to find to replace Carpenter? The guy can't stay healthy and is a joke in pass pro. IMO one of P&J's few misses.

Don't give up on Carpenter yet. He has had some bad fortune to stare down, in addition to adjusting to the speed of the NFL. He has handsome pretty significant injuries, as well as switching to a new position. There is a real chance he could become a power mauler next to Okung on the left side. And, if so; the Okung-Carpenter-Unger (regardless of anything MysterMatt has ever held true) combo could prove dominant.

"Some people here have been groomed to accept mediocrity and lame ducks, I'm on board with the vibrato!" -SouthSoundHawk "BFS is kicking ass in here." -kearly (8/9/2013)

If anyone follows Carpenter on Instagram, looks like he hired his own chef/nutritionist to cook for him. I believe the same one Okung uses or recommended(not sure though).

This seems like a big step to me, he always struck me as a natural athlete, big strong, skated by on pure talent, ate whatever he wanted. But hopefully something has clicked with him, that he needs to put in the work, and take care of his body(and keep his weight down).

An in shape, healthy, prepared Carpenter would be a monster on the field.

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP